Razor-sharpening device



Spt. 2a, 1926:

G. F. BALLOU RAZOR SHARPENING DEVICE Filed Feb. 27, 1922 2 Sheet s-Sheet 1 Sept. 2 192a; 1,601,339

G. F. BALLOU RAZOR SHARPENING DEVICE Filed Feb. 27, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Qpazya Ffia [law @5 flaw m Patented Sept. 28, 1926. Y

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. BALLOU, OF NEXV YQR-li, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ARTHUR BERGI-I, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAZOR-SHARIENING DE VICE. 7

Application filed February 27, 1922. SerialNo. 539,633.

This invention relates to stropping devices for razor blades, particularly safety razor blades, and has for an object to provide an improved mechanical stropping device with which razor blades may be effectively and satisfactorily stropped by novices within a minimum of time, and which is exceedingly compact, simple and durable in construction,

attractive in appearance, and inexpensive Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in claims.

The invention comprehencls a moving stropping surface and a carrier for detachably mounting razor blades for movement into and out of stropping relation with the moving stropping surface. The carrier is mounted so as to permit the cutting edge of the blade to contact during its entire length with the stropping surface. Ialso contemplate providing a guiding device'for the carrier by means of which the cutting edge of the blade cannot be brought into contact with the stropping surface unless'it is first brought into a position in which it is parallel with the portion of the stropping surface with which it will engage, and by means of which displacement, of the blade from proper stropping position is prevented while in contact with or in close proximity to the stropping surface. The invention also comprehends various details and arrange men-ts which will be explained in the followdescription.

- n the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention. v s. 2, 3 and l are similar medialsection- I n iiferent operable positions; Figs. 5 and are fractional sectional details.

In the illustrated embodiment, asuitable base plate 1 is provided with spaced bearings 2 a stropping member a are rotatably mounte One of the bearings 3 of the member 4 is'extended and provided with a suitable operating member 5 which the stropping member may be rotated. The stropping member is provided with a stropping surface 6 which may be provided. by winding the member, that in this embodiment is cylindrical, helically with a strip' of leather, canvas or other suitable strop-v e'ws of the device with the blade holder 1 in which the bearingrextensions 3 of through the medium of me'nt of its other end toward and from the stropping member.

The other or free end 1s provided w th a spring clamp device 11 which detachably mounts a razor blade of the safety razor type, one of the members of the clamp device having pins 13 which enter the usual apertures in certain types of safety razor blades 13 and hold the blades securely against displacement in the clamp device. The relatively movable member of the clamp device is hinged by suitable ears 1% to a pin carried by the other member of the clamp, and a'helical spring 16 surrounding the pin 15 resiliently presses the movable member toward the relatively nonmovable member to grip the interposed razor blade 12 with its cutting edge portion projecting from the clamping device. Vhen the carrier with its blade isfbrought toward the cylindera the cutting edge of the blade will be brought into stropping contact with the stropping' surface of the cylinder, and the carrier is free to rotate so as to bring all points in the cutting edge of the blade in contact with the stropping surface, which in effect means that the cutting edge must be parallel with the p'ortion ofthe stropping surface with which it engages.

It is desirable toprevent lateral or side wise movement of the carrier and blade during the stropping operation, and to prevent movementof the blade into contact with the surface of the cylinder when not parallel with theportion of the surface to be engaged." Accordingly'an intermediate portion 17 of the carrier isof non-circular cross section which is" accomplished by flattening the carrier somewhat. An upstanding lug 18 .on the socket deviceis provided with a vertoward the cylinder with the cutting edge of the blade parallel with the portion of the stropping surface to be engaged, and

will prevent lateral or sidcwise movement of the blade during the stropping operation. To facilitate the entrance of the edge of the ,carricr into the slot, the upper ends of the slot may be divergent.

In the use of the device, the carrier is swung upwardly out of the slot 19 and rotated to bring the wide portion across the slot as shown in Figs. 3 and 6 and the carrier is then allowed to rest upon the lug 18, in which position the blade is out of contact with the str'opping surface of the cylinder. By manipulating the clamping device a razor blade which it is desired to sharpen may be scoured to the carrier. The carrier may then be rotated about its longitudinal axis to bring the flattened portion edgewise to the lug 18 and is then allowed to enter the slot and move towards the cylinder to bring the cutting edge of the blade into sopping contact with the stropping sur; face of the cylinder, as shown in Figs. 2, ando. Rotation of the cylinder will move the stropping surface beneath the cutting edge and effectively strop the same. After a number of rotations of the cylinder, the c ier may be raised above the lug l8, rotated about its longitudinal axis through approximately 180 and again into contact with the cylinder to strop the other face of the cutting edge. If desired the carrier may be detached from the socket device by pulling the same therefrom, the spring member 10- yielding to permit of this detachment or a re-insertion. The bottom of the slot acts as a stop to prevent downward movement of the carrier to an extent which wouldpermit flexing of the blade in contact with the cylinder suniciently to render the stropping ineffective or to break the blade.

It will be understood that various changes in the details and aaangements herein described and illustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a strapping device, a base, a strop ping member rotatably mounted on said base and having on its periphery a stropping surface, a blade. carrier for detachably mounting a razor blade, a hinge element carried by the base and to which the carrier has an articulated connection for rotary movement and for movement toward and from the member, whereby the blade may be brought into stropping relation with said member with the cutting edge in contact with the stropping surface along its entire length, said carrier having a portion of non-circular cross section, and a guide carried by the base and having a slot to receive the non-circular portion of the carrier as the latter moves toward the member and hold the carrieragainst rotation and with the cutting edge of the blade parallel with the stropping surface which it engages.

2. In a stropping device, a base, a stropling member rotatably mounted on said base and having a stropping surface, a blade carrier for detachably mounting a razor blade and terminating in a ball end, a spring clamp socket device carried by the base for detachably receiving the ball end whereby the carrier may move toward and from the member to bring the cutting edge of the blade against the stropping surface and also rotate to bring all parts of the cuttingedge in Contact with the stropping surface, said carrier having a portionof noncircular cross section, and a guide carried by the base and having a slot to receive the non-circular portion of the Carder as the latter moves toward the member and hold the carrier against rotation and with the cutting edge of the blade parallel with the stropping' surface which it engages.

in a stroppin device, a sheet metal base having spaced upstanding arms, a stropping member rotatably mounted in said arms, means enabling manual operation of said member, a carrier hinged uni- .versally to said base and movable toward and from the member, said carrier having means for detachably mounting axrazor blade for movement with the carrier into and out of contact with said member, and a guide device coacting with said carrier for preventing movement of the carrier to carry the blade into stropping engagement with said member when the cutting edge of the blade is not parallel with the stroppin'g surface which it would engage.

4,111 a stropping device, a sheet metal base having spaced upstanding arms, a stropp'ing member rotatably mounted in said arms, means enabling manual operation of said member, a carrier hinged universally to said base and movable toward and from the member, said carrier having means for detac'hably mounting a razor blade for movement with the carrier into and out of contact with said member, an abutment carried by the base beneath the carrier and having a slot therein into which the carrier moves in carrying a blade into stropping engagement with said member, said-carrier at the portion engaging the abutment being non-circular in cross section and of such dimensions that when presenting the blade flatwise to said member it may enter said slot and when not presenting the blade fiatwise, 'it'cannot enter the slot far enough to let the blade engage the stropping member.

' 5. in stropping device, a support, a stropping'n'ieinber carried by said support, a bladec', rier'adapted removably to mount a razor blade universally hinged to said support formovement toward and from the gages said upright, with the minimum di mension such as to enter the slot when the blade is substantially parallel with the surface portion of the stropping member it would engage, and with thermaximum dimension greater than the width of the slot and extending across and preventing its entrance to the slot and thereby movement of the blade into contact with the said member, when the mounted blade is not parallel with the said surface portion of the member.

6. In a sharpening device, a sheet metal base having upright tongues at one end, a sharpening member rotatably mounted in said tongues, a strip of sheet spring metal se cured at the other end of the base and extending toward the sharpening member, the outer end of said strip being turned back upon itself to form a spring clamp, and a blade carrier having a pivot end yield ngly held in said clamp, and movable toward and from the sharpening member.

7. In a sharpening device, a sheet metal base having upright tongues at one end, a sharpening member rotatably mounted in said tongues, a strip of sheet spring metal secured at the other end of thebase and extending toward the sharpening member, the outer end of said strip being turned back upon itself to form a spring clamp and a blade carrier having a pivot end yieldingly held in said clamp, and movable toward and from the sharpening member, the inner end of the stripbeing turned upwardly below the carrier and having a vertical slot which the carrier must enter before a blade carried .thereb can enga e the shar enin member.

8. In a sharpening device, a sheet metal base having upright tongues at one end, a sharpening member rotatably mounted in said tongues, a strip of sheet spring metal secured at the other end of the base and extending toward the sharpening member, the

sharpening member rotatably mounted in said tongues, a strip of sheet spring metal secured at the other end of the base and extending toward the sharpening member, the outer end of said strip being turned back upon itself to form a spring clamp, and a blade carrier having a ball end yieldingly held in said clamp and universally movable therein, whereby the carrier may rotate about the longitudinal axis and also move toward and from the sharpening member to carry selectively either face of a cutting edge against the said member, the inner endof the strip being turned upwardly below the carrier and having a vertical slot which the carrier must enter before a blade carried thereby can engage the sharpening member.

10. In a sharpening device, a sheet metal base having upright tonguesat one end, a sharpening member rotatably mounted in said tongues, a strip of sheet spring metal secured at the other end of the base and exouter end of said strip being turned back upon itself to form a spring clamp, and a blade carrier having a ball end yieldingly held in said clamp and universally movable therein, whereby the carrier may rotate about the longitudinal axis and also move toward and fromthe sharpening member to carry selectively either face of a cutting edge against the said member, the inner end of the strip being turned upwardly below the carrier and having a vertical slot which the carrier must enter before a blade carried thereby can engage the sharpening member, the carrierat the point entering the slot being elongated in cross section with its minimum dimension not greater than the width of the slot and its maximum dimension greater than the width of the slot, whereby the carrier can only enter the slot when in diainto whichthe carrier must move in carrying a blade into sharpening relation to said mem-.

her, the bottom of the slot limiting the movement of the carrier toward the member in order to prevent the application of undue flexing stress upon the blade by its pressure upon said member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGEF. BALLOU.

tending toward the sharpening member, the 

